Update: A few details about the project affected by these layoffs have emerged through various sources collected by reddit. The project was being headed by Stig Asmussen, creative director on God of War III. The unnamed project is indeed the one BSG writer Michael Angeli was working on. Apparently it was to be a brand new, open-world sci-fi IP that Santa Monica and Sony were going to reveal at E3 this year. Finally, according to a former Irrational Games level designer, the layoffs affected about 50 SCE Santa Monica Studio employees.

Original Story: Sony Santa Monica Studio, the developer behind the God of War and Twisted Metal series, was hit with layoffs yesterday, Sony confirmed.

According to Sony Computer Entertainment America, the staff reduction at Santa Monica was the “result of a cycle of resource re-alignment against priority growth areas” within the company at large—which is just about the most emotionally detached, robotic, business-like response about eliminating jobs I’ve ever heard. Sony did state that they’re working with outplacement services to help transition those affected smoothly.

The studio was known to be collaborating with Battlestar Galactica and Dark Angel writer Michael Angeli on an unannounced project. They are, or were, also helping Ready at Dawn in some capacity with The Order: 1886.

It’s unclear yet as to how many people were affected by the layoffs, or what the fate of any unannounced projects are.

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Sony Santa Monica Studio hit with layoffs [update: more details]

By | 02/26/2014 01:40 PM PT

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Update: A few details about the project affected by these layoffs have emerged through various sources collected by reddit. The project was being headed by Stig Asmussen, creative director on God of War III. The unnamed project is indeed the one BSG writer Michael Angeli was working on. Apparently it was to be a brand new, open-world sci-fi IP that Santa Monica and Sony were going to reveal at E3 this year. Finally, according to a former Irrational Games level designer, the layoffs affected about 50 SCE Santa Monica Studio employees.

Original Story: Sony Santa Monica Studio, the developer behind the God of War and Twisted Metal series, was hit with layoffs yesterday, Sony confirmed.

According to Sony Computer Entertainment America, the staff reduction at Santa Monica was the “result of a cycle of resource re-alignment against priority growth areas” within the company at large—which is just about the most emotionally detached, robotic, business-like response about eliminating jobs I’ve ever heard. Sony did state that they’re working with outplacement services to help transition those affected smoothly.

The studio was known to be collaborating with Battlestar Galactica and Dark Angel writer Michael Angeli on an unannounced project. They are, or were, also helping Ready at Dawn in some capacity with The Order: 1886.

It’s unclear yet as to how many people were affected by the layoffs, or what the fate of any unannounced projects are.